Heracross
Heracross is a Bug/Fighting-type Pokémon, the Single Horn Pokémon, number 214 (#0214) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 2 and comes from the Johto region. It is 1.5 m tall and weighs 54 kg.
Heracross is the Single Horn Pokémon, a steel-shelled beetle that slides its horn under an opponent and flings it away. The Pokédex says it can lift things 100 times its own weight, and that its Mega Evolution can lift 500 times.
How to pronounce Heracross
Heracross is pronounced HAIR-uh-kros. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Heracross said out loud:
In Japanese it is ヘラクロス (Heracros).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Heracross is a bipedal beetle, 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall and 54 kg (119.0 lb), with a navy blue shell the Pokédex calls steel-hard. A long horn grows from its forehead; on males the tip forms a cross, and on females a heart. Sharp claws on its feet dig into the ground or tree bark for a firm footing, and a pair of wings hides under its wing cases, though it is not good at flying.
Behaviour
Heracross is usually docile, but it will chase off anyone who disturbs it while it drinks sweet sap. It tracks sap by scent with its two antennae, and Bulbapedia notes it sometimes falls asleep still licking sap after a tiring search. It takes pride in its horn and its strength: the Legends: Arceus Pokédex says it can throw several trained warriors at once.
Habitat
The Pokédex lists forests. In Scarlet and Violet it is found in the North Province and in Kitakami's forests and bamboo, plus Tera Raids. In Legends: Z-A it lives in Wild Zones 13 and 20, and the Mega Dimension DLC adds Hyperspace Lumiose.
Diet
Sweet tree sap and honey are its favourite foods, according to the Pokédex.
Powers
Heracross has the Abilities Swarm and Guts, with Moxie hidden. Megahorn was its signature move in Generation II, and it also learns Close Combat, Brick Break, Pin Missile and Swords Dance. With 125 base Attack it is a hard-hitting physical attacker. Mega Heracross is Bug and Fighting, 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) and 62.5 kg (137.8 lb), with 185 base Attack and the Ability Skill Link, which makes multi-hit moves strike the maximum number of times. Its forearm shells open to vent heat, and the Pokédex says the Mega form leaves it with sore muscles afterwards.
Name origin
Heracross may combine 'Hercules beetle', Herakles the Greek hero, and 'cross'. The Japanese name is Heracros (ヘラクロス), which Bulbapedia reads the same way.
Design inspiration
Heracross seems modelled on the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, which is known for its strength and used in insect fighting, matching its Fighting type. Bulbapedia says Mega Heracross appears to follow a Hercules beetle instead. These are fan readings.
In the games
Heracross's Mega Evolution arrived in X and Y, where Heracronite turns it into Mega Heracross. The species itself debuted in Gold and Silver, where you find it by using Headbutt on trees along Johto routes.
In the anime
Ash's Heracross debuted in 'A Sappy Ending', where it helped Ash and his friends deal with a feud between Heracross and Pinsir over tree sap, and ended the episode joining Ash.
Fun facts
- Heracross is the only Fighting-type Pokémon in the Bug egg group.
- Bulbapedia sees it as the counterpart of Pinsir: both Japanese names end in ロス (rosu), and English 'her' and 'sir' sit inside the two names.
- Bulbapedia notes that in Pokémon GO, Heracross is region-exclusive, turning up mainly in Central America, South America, the Caribbean and the south of Florida.
- In Alola, the Ultra Sun Pokédex says its biggest rival is Vikavolt, which Bulbapedia says helps it get along better with Pinsir there.
Base stats
- HP: 80
- Attack: 125
- Defense: 75
- Sp. Atk: 40
- Sp. Def: 95
- Speed: 85
Heracross’s base stat total is 500. Its highest stat is Attack.
Type matchups
What is Heracross weak to?
Heracross takes extra damage from Flying (4×), Fire (2×), Psychic (2×), Fairy (2×) moves.
It resists Grass (½×), Fighting (½×), Ground (½×), Bug (½×), Dark (½×).
Evolution
Heracross does not evolve, and it does not evolve from any other Pokémon.
Forms
- Mega Heracross (Mega): Bug/Fighting-type, base stat total 600 (HP 80, Attack 185, Defense 115, Sp. Atk 40, Sp. Def 105, Speed 75). Ability: Skill Link.
Abilities
- Swarm: Strengthens Bug moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
- Guts: Increases Attack to 1.5× with a major status ailment.
- Moxie (hidden ability): Raises Attack one stage upon KOing a Pokémon.
Moves
Moves Heracross learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tackle | Normal | Physical | 40 |
| 1 | Leer | Normal | Status | — |
| 1 | Arm Thrust | Fighting | Physical | 15 |
| 5 | Fury Attack | Normal | Physical | 15 |
| 10 | Endure | Normal | Status | — |
| 15 | Aerial Ace | Flying | Physical | 60 |
| 20 | Horn Attack | Normal | Physical | 65 |
| 25 | Counter | Fighting | Physical | — |
| 30 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 |
| 35 | Pin Missile | Bug | Physical | 25 |
| 40 | Throat Chop | Dark | Physical | 80 |
| 45 | Thrash | Normal | Physical | 120 |
| 50 | Swords Dance | Normal | Status | — |
| 55 | Megahorn | Bug | Physical | 120 |
| 60 | Close Combat | Fighting | Physical | 120 |
TM moves (55)
Heracross can learn 55 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Protect, Low Kick, Struggle Bug, Thief, Trailblaze, Pounce, Facade, Aerial Ace, Bulldoze, Rock Tomb, Fling, Endure, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Smart Strike, Dig, Bullet Seed, False Swipe, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Bulk Up, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Rock Blast, Rest, Rock Slide, Swords Dance, Spikes, Substitute, Iron Defense, Helping Hand, Reversal, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Giga Impact, Focus Blast, Bug Buzz, Hyper Beam, Close Combat, Tera Blast, Smack Down, Knock Off, Bug Bite, Vacuum Wave, Lunge, High Horsepower, Focus Punch, Double-Edge, Endeavor, Coaching, Skitter Smack, Throat Chop, Curse, Upper Hand.
Egg moves (6):Double-Edge, Feint, Flail, Harden, Night Slash, Seismic Toss.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
- Egg groups: Bug.
- Egg cycles: 25 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 3,200).
- Catch rate: 45 out of 255.
- Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
- Growth rate: Slow (1,250,000 experience points to reach level 100).
- Defeating it gives 2 Attack effort values.
- Base experience yield: 175.
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon has an unparalleled horn. Heracross itself demonstrates tremendous power—it's capable of throwing several people trained in the traditional arts of war at once. (Legends: Arceus)
This Pokémon takes pride in its strength, which allows it to lift things 100 times heavier than itself with no trouble at all. (Shield)
Heracross loves sweet sap and will go looking through forests for it. The Pokémon uses its two antennae to pick up scents as it searches. (Sword)
It roams through forests searching for sweet nectar. Although it boasts fantastic physical strength, it's not that good at flying. (Ultra Moon)
It's proud of its thick horn. In Alola, its biggest rival is Vikavolt, which it's always fighting with. (Ultra Sun)
Heracross has sharp claws on its feet. These are planted firmly into the ground or the bark of a tree, giving the Pokémon a secure and solid footing to forcefully fling away foes with its proud horn. (Sapphire, Alpha Sapphire)
Names around the world
| Japanese | ヘラクロス |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Heracros |
| French | Scarhino |
| German | Skaraborn |
| Spanish | Heracross |
| Italian | Heracross |
| Korean | 헤라크로스 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 赫拉克罗斯 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 赫拉克羅斯 |
Trivia
- Heaviest Fighting type in Gen 2: 54 kg.
- Tallest Fighting type in Gen 2: 1.5 m.
- Fastest Fighting type in Gen 2: 85 Speed.
- Highest HP among Fighting types in Gen 2: 80.
- Highest Attack among Fighting types in Gen 2: 125.
- Highest Sp. Atk among Fighting types in Gen 2: 40.
- Highest base stat total among Fighting types in Gen 2: 500.
- Highest HP among Bug types in Gen 2: 80.
- Taller than 72% of all Pokémon (1.5 m).
- Heavier than 68% of all Pokémon (54 kg).
- Base stat total 500, ranked #278 of 1,025.
- Its best stat is Attack, ranked #65 of 1,025.
- One of 4 Pokémon that are both Bug and Fighting.
- One of 170 blue Pokémon.
- Number 63 of 100 Pokémon introduced in Generation 2 (Johto).
- Can learn 69 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- Catch rate 45: about 5.9% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Has 1 alternate form.
- Appears in 16 distinct Pokédex entries.
Sources and fact-checking
- Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: PokéAPI open game data.
- Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from Bulbapedia: Heracross (Pokémon), Serebii: Heracross (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (HAIR-uh-kros): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.
Last checked: . Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.
Explore
Bug-type Pokémon · Fighting-type Pokémon · Bug/Fighting weaknesses and matchups · Heracross vs Scizor · Johto region guide · Swarm ability · Guts ability · Moxie ability · Compare Heracross · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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